Method of and means for producing pipe-organ music



H. F. WATERS ,793,532

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING PIPE ORGAN MUSIC Feb., 24, 193i.

Filed Oct. 30, 1929 Sum ik E winx, Q@ Q y 5 M N7 p, A a Vw W wf A m Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY r. WATERS, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

Applicationr filed October 30, 1929. Serial No. 403,425.

i0 music mechanically.

It is rvery well known that prior to this invention organ player rolls have been employed with mechanical organ players for producing pipe organ music. These organ rolls were lf3 so made that the organs were completely played by mechanical means; that is to say, the organ rolls referred to not only operated sound producing elements of the organ but said organ rolls were provided with perforafl tions which caused tablets of the organ to be pulled down and performed other operations which an organist 1s required to perform in playing a pipe organ. A pipe organ played by a mechanical player with tne aid of an 5 organ roll is very efficiently and beautifully played, but unfortunately the supply of organ rolls is rather limited when compared with the anticipated demand for rolls for playing pipe organs.

il@ Also prior to this invention efforts have been made to play pipe organs with the aid of piano player rolls but in the use of such rolls notes of only one manual were employed, the result being a monotonous, unmusical 35 sounding of the solo notes only of the pipe organ.

Due to the fact that there is available a very great supply of piano rolls I have evolved the improved method and means disclosed herein, which briefly stated involves, (l) producing a mechanical player for pipe organs which may be actuated by piano player rolls, and (2), producing a mechanical player for pipe organs which may be actuated either by piano 5 rolls or organ player rolls.

In following out my improved method I employ a mechanical player of the type heretofore used in the utilization of organ player, and the other mechanisms of the player which cooperate with elements of the pipe organ, are connected to the various elements of the pipe organ so that the pipe organ is played in the manner common to the use of mechanical organ players employing organ rolls. To provide for the use of piano rolls in playing the pipe organ, however, I electrically wire the note selecting mechanismof the mechanical player in a novel manner; that is to say, I arbitrarily select a po-int where a split will occur in the electrical wiring of the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player and I electrically connect the note selecting mechanism above said split to the solo sound producing elements of the pipe organ, and electrically` connect the note selecting mechanism below such split to the accompaniment sound producing elements of the pipe organ. 7i th respect to the location of the split referred to I find that middle C of the note selecting mechanism of the player is the'logical point for said split, inasmuch as most piano rolls are cut with the solo and accompaniment 'i parts separated at middle C, but I do not limit myselt to suoli location of the split.

In addition to wiring the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player in the manner described, I also wire the accompaniment portion of said note selecting mechanism so as to provide an automatic bass accompaniment, such wiring of a key boa-rd or other note selecting mechanism of a pipe organ being very generally understood by persons familiar with the art to which this invention belongs, and involves so wiring the accompaniment side of the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player that the note selecting element on the accompaniment side which is lowest in the scale of those actuated will, because of the electrical wiring scheme, actuate a note selecting element an octave lower in the scale than the first mentioned lowest note selecting element. The bass note selecting element so actuated may be connected to sound any desired number of bass notes, depending on the number of stop tablets employed, and the playerrolls for playing a pipe organ. The t electrical wiring associated with lowest oc- P note selecting mechanism of this mechanical and accompaniment sound producing ele-v L ments of the'pipe organ, and the accompaniment sid-e of the note selecting mechanism of the player being electricallyT YWired to provide the automatic, bass accompaniment.V

However, when the mechanical vplayer is arranged to be operated by either a pian-o player roll or an organ player roll it Will be necessary to provide a system selecting means which may be ope-rated manually to pla-ce inoperative condition the system yactuated by aV rpiano player ro-ll or the sys-tem actuated by an organ player roll. This system selecting means may take various forms, for instance, it may comprise two separate systems of electric Wiring adapted for co- Operative association With the piano player rolls andthe organ player rolls respectively, in Which event a switch will be provided Which may be thrown to place one or the other system in operation. Also, if desired, the system-selectingy means may be mechanical in form, one type of Which Would'be a slidable element provided with onesystem of .perforations to `which tubes leading from the pipe organ elements actuated by the piano player `rolls are connected, and a second systemr of perforations to 'which tubes leading from the 'pipe organ elements actuated by vthe organ player-rolls are connected. When it is -desired 'to utilize one or Vthe other type of roll in playing the associated pipe organ the slidable element may be moved to y bring the perforations ofthe desired system into cooperative position With respect to the apertures of the tracker bar ofthe mechanical player and by .so positioning the sli-dable element only the :desired'system will be rendered operative.

Figure lis a schemyatical View ofthe Wiring arrangement of a mechanical player lelectrically Wired to play piano player rolls.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary `dia'grammatical View illustrating one form-of the system selecting means employed 'in following lout my improved method.

In Figure l of the drawing Adesignates diagrammatically the eighty-eight note selecting elements of a player :designed to play standard piano player rol-ls and the line l designates the split in the Wiring leading from said elements, said split, Sas hereinbefore stated preferably being located approximately at middle C of the musical scale. l) designates the electrical conductors which ductors ll constitute parts of the electrical Wirinff system which provide the Vautomatic bass accompaniment referred toV herein7 but as this Wiring-arrangement is quite complicated and is Well understood by persons tamiliar with the art to Whichthis invention belongs it has not been illustrated in detail.

ln the use of a piano player roll with a mechanical `organ .player having the note selecting mechanism electrically Wired as illustrated in Figure lyery good results are obtained inasmuch as solo and accompaniment renditions on the pipe organ are derived. This `may be accomplished, for instance, by pulling down a string tablet on the solo side of the organ and a flute tablet Aon the accompanimentside of the organ. The result would be a string soloaccompanied by a flute, and it would be obtained with the use of a roll cut `to play on one keyboard -or manual only, and

expression considerably more variety and derfyed than was Apossible when piano player rol-ls were employed heretofore 'or playing pipe organs. ln playing a pipe organ with the aid cfa piano player roll in accordance With my invention the tablets must be pulled down manually as piano player rolls do not include perfcrations for performing these operations but in spite of this very greatly improved results are obtained over those realized-heretofore in connection `With the use oi piano player rolls for playing pipe organs.

In Figure 2 I illustrate one means for selecting one or the other system Jor operati-on When the mechanical player is arranged to beV operated either a piano player roll or an organ player roll. This Jform includes a stationary perforated member l adjacent to Whi-clra slidable element 2 is positioned. 3 designates the tracker bar ot a mechanical player, the perforations formed through the tracker bar being connected by suitable tubes 5 to similarly spaced pertcrations 6 in the stationary member l. The slidable element Q is provided With two sets of perforations, the periicraticns of one set being designated by the reference character 7 and Athose of the other set being designated bythe rererence character 8. The perorations 7 are connected by means ci suitabletubes 9 to the elements or" the organ actuated by an organ player rol-l and the per'fcrations 8 are connected by suitable tubes l0 to the elements of the pipe organ actuated by a piano Vplayer roll. VNhen it is desired lto use an organ playlongitudinally of the stationary selecting means er ioll or a piano player roll in playing an organ the slidable element 2 may be moved member l to bring the perforations 7 or 8 into registration with the perforations 5 in the stationary member l, whereby the system to which the roll being used relates is placed in an operative condition.

I claim:

l. The herein described method of producing music mechanically with the aid of an electrically operated pipe organ having a mechanical player associated therewith, which comprises wiring the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player so that a split is provided in the electrical wiring thereof with the note selecting means above suoli split electrically wiredy to solo sound producing elements of the organ and the note below the split electrically wired to accompaniment sound producing elements of the organ, and utilizing a piano player roll for actuating the note selecting means of the player.

2. The herein described method of producing music mechanically with the aid of an electrically operated pipe organ having a mechanical player associated therewith, which comprises wiring the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player so that a split is provided in the electrical wiring thereof with the note selecting means above such split electrically wired to solo sound producing elements of the organ and the note U selecting means beloviT the split electrically wired to accompaniment sound producing elements of the organ, and utilizing a piano player roll or an oigan player roll for actuating the note selecting means of the player.

3. The herein described method of producing music mechanically with the aid of an electrically operated pipe organ having a mechanical player associated therewith which comprises wiring the note selecting mechanisin of the mechanical player, so that a split is provided approximately at middle C in the electric wiring thereof with the note selecting means above such split electrically wired to solo sound producing elements of the organ and the note selecting means below the split electrically wired to accompaniment sound producing elements ci' the organ, and utilizing a piano player roll for actuating the note selecting means of said Yilayer.

4. The herein described method of producing music mechanically with the aid of an electrically operated pipe organ having a mechanical player associated therewith which comprises wiring the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player, so that a split is provided approximately at middle C in the electric wiring thereof with the note selecting means above such split electrically wired to solo sound producing elements of the organ and the note selecting means below `a split is provided in the ysplit electrically wired to accompaniment sound producing elements of the organ, and utilizing a piano player roll or an organ player roll for actuating the note selecting means of said player.

5. The herein described method of producing music mechanically with the aid of an electrically operated pipe organ h avino a mechanical player' associated therewith, which comprises wiring the note selecting mechanism oi' the mechanical player so that a split is provided approximately at middle C with the' note selecting means above such split electrically wired to solo sound producing elements of the organ and the note selecting means below the split electrically wired to ccompaniment sound producing elements ol the organ, electrically wiring the note selec vig means of the player to provide an automatic bass accompaniment, and utilizing a piano player roll for actuating the note selecting means ot' said player.

(i. T he herein described method of producg music mechanically with the aid of an electrically operated pipe organ having a inechanical player associated therewith, which comp wirthe noteselecting mechanism ci the mechanical player so that a split is provid d mately at middle C with the note ng means above such split electrically uned to solo sound producing elements the organ and the note selecting means below the split electrically wired to accompaniment sound producing elements of tle organ, electrically wiring the note selectmeans of the player to provide an automatic accompaniment, and utilizing a piano player roll or organ player roll for actuat' the note selecting means of said player.V i

T. 'lhc herein (flescrilfied method of proi g music mechanically with aid ol.l an electricz-illy operated pipe organ having a mechanical player associated therewith, which comprises wiring the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player so iat the electrical wiring tl ereof with the note selecting means above such split electrically wired to solo sound producing elements of the organ and the note selecting' means below the split electrically wired to accompaniment sound producing elements of the organ, utilizing a piano player roll or an organ player roll for actuating the note selecting' means of the player, and providing means for selectively connecting the note selecting means actuated by the pi ano player roll, or the note selecting means actuated by the organ player roll with the sound producing elements of the pipe organ.

8. The herein described method of producing music mechanically with aid of an electrically operated pipe organ having a mechanical player associated therewith,

ing

which comprises Wiring the note selecting mechanism of the mechanical player so that a split is provided in ythe electrical Wiring thereof with .thenote selecting means above such split electrically Wired to solo sound producing elements of the organ .and the note selecting means below the split electrically Wired to accompaniment sound producing elements of the organ, electrically vviring the note selecting means of the player to provide an automatic bass accompaniment, utilizing a piano player roll or an organ player roll Jfor actuating the note selecting means of the player, andproviding means for selectively connecting the note selecting means actuated by the piano player roll, or the note selectingmeans actuated by the organ player roll withl the sound producing elements of the pipe organ. 2@ I 9. A mechanical player for pipe organs including a plurality of note selecting elements, electrical conductors leading Jfrom Said note selecting elements to a pipe organ, certain of said electrical conductors leading to `solo sound producingl elements of the pipe organ and others of said electrical conductors leading to accompaniment sound pro ducing elements of said pipe organ, and a piano player roll of standard arrangement for actuating said note selecting elements.

10. A mechanical player for pipe organs including a plurality of note selecting elements, electrical conductors leading fromY said note selecting elements to a pipe organ, certain of said electrical conductors leading to solo sound producing elements of the pipe organ and others of said .electrical concluetors leading to accompaniment sound producing elementsY of said pipe organ, an relectrical Wiring system associatedwith the last mentioned conductors for providing an automatic bass accompaniment, and a piano player roll of standard arrangement for actuating said note selecting elements.

In testimonyl whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

fia

HARRY r. WATERS. 

